Mundane to magic: recreating profile photos' inception

We've all done it. The arms-length self-portrait with
face-blanching flash. And while these types of photos are
ubiquitous in the online jungle, few have documented the moment of
their conception. These untold origin stories are the subject of
photographer Wolfram Hahn's award-winning
project, Into the Light.

"The digital
camera and the computer allow the possibility of shutting
oneself away while simultaneously maintaining contact with others,"
says Hahn. "I began to ask myself, what is behind these
moments...how does it look when somebody is taking their photograph
at home and alone?"

Into The Light began with Hahn scouting profile
portraits of people in his home city of Berlin. When he found
a worthy self-portrait, he sent a message inquiring about why the
user took the photo. Then, if the user was game, Hahn schlepped his
a tripod-mounted Hasselblad over to the subject's apartment and
re-enacted the original picture-taking scene.

"Same clothes, same place and also with the same light -- mostly
daylight," says Hahn. "The moment does not appear spectacular. You
see people in their rooms photographing themselves, which is
nothing special since it's happening everywhere, all the time."

The thought-provoking images earned Hahn a World Press
Photo award. While straddling the line between silly and serious,
the photos elevate an online cliché into a metaphysical moment of
birth for one's internet persona. As such, the exact moment the
subject's camera flashes is crucial for Hahn, like a baptism of
light.

"I asked [the sitters] to use the red eye flash, which goes off
two times. It helped me to take the photo simultaneously at the
moment when they put themselves 'into the light'; the making of
their digital identity."

In the photos, Hahn makes a special point of keeping the
subjects' surroundings in focus, which can sometimes say more about
them than their face or expression.

"In the self-portraits, you can find a lot of stereotypes and
icons from movies, advertising and the music industry. Somehow,
this network of self-portraits is a mirror of society."